Michael and Alysa met in the fall of 2022 through their shared work with Young Life, a non-profit Christian ministry for students. Through work trainings and retreats, they got to know each other better and slowly became more and more interested in one another. That winter, Alysa mentioned to a mutual friend that she would maybe, potentially, possibly, be interested in going on a date with Michael. When word got back to Michael, he made a snap decision at a retreat, and while embarassing himself, asked Alysa on a date.

They hit it off immediately, and it was clear from the beginning that there could be a future here long-term, and they both decided to give it a go with long distance. Dating continued to go well, and they had lots of fun driving back and forth and exploring each other's cities together. It did not take long for both of them to realize this was serious, and their pirorities started to shift towards one another. During the fall of 2023, Michael saved up and bought a ring, 100% sure that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Alysa. Now, one year later, they are happily engaged and so ready to get married and start their lives together in Cleveland!